Publick Nuisance

The secret files of the Ventureverse

Our second episode (and our first with our actual main characters in it) aired tonight, and people seem to dig it. I'm glad, because I'm always glad when people like one of these things, but also because I'm especially proud of this one--the finished script was one of my favorites, and it was a lot of fun to write...lo, those many months ago.

It was also, however, an absolute nightmare to make at just about every level of production. It had more backgrounds than any other episode, partially because all of our key Venture Compound backgrounds had to be re-designed and re-painted for HD, and partially because we revealed entirely new locations within the Venture Compound that we'd never seen before--like the lobby, hallways, conference room and R.O.C.C.--which would also become "key stock pack" backgrounds for the rest of the season...so they had to look nice because we'd be re-using them a lot.

Then we had some...problems...in the storyboarding phase that forced us to bump the show back one slot in the production cycle.

Then, when it came back from overseas several months later, we discovered that about half of it had been animated "on 3's"--which, if you don't know much about animation, means that there's only one drawing for every three frames of film--when American animation is usually done "on 2's." So it looked like anime; all stiff and ghostly, and those scenes had to be reanimated. If you were one of the unlucky few who caught Adult Swim's April Fool's Day sneak preview broadcast of the first 11 minutes of this episode, you would have seen this original animation. As it is, we still didn't catch every offending shot, so there are still a few of them in the final show.

In other news...

Last week's premiere apparently did really well in the ratings--the best we've ever done, by some accounts--and the online version received hundreds of thousands of hits as well. This is nice, and only slightly compromised by the knowledge that our Family Guy lead-in probably had something to do with it. I'll take it where I can get it, though.

Shirt Club has been a phenomenal success. We received way more orders for both subscriptions and single Guild t-shirts than we expected in our most ambitious estimates. The second week's shirt is now available for ordering over at Astrobase Go, so Astrobase go there now...

Our apologies to those who mistakenly missed the ordering deadlines. Despite the slightly misleading copy at the top of the ordering page, we clearly stated elsewhere on the page that the deadline for the first shirts and subscriptions would be 11:59pm on Saturday, June 7th. And this will remain our policy for the remainder of Shirt Club: each shirt will go up at 11:30pm the night a new episode airs and the ordering period will close at 11:59 the following Saturday night. Everyone needs a day of rest, after all. Or, in this case, a day to get our shit together.

Am still writing my first solo script for Season 4. Which is terrifying because we're starting production on Season 4 a week from Monday. Writing's been difficult because we're currently editing episode 35 of Season 3, World Leaders has just moved its offices to another floor, we've been doing a lot of interviews lately, we just got the first take of our finale episode back from Korea, and we're in the middle of a wicked heat wave here in New York. Just don't tell my producer on me.

We Love You,

JP

P.S. I know, I know...I broke the "no Star Wars references" rule already. It's my last one of the season, I swear. Doc blows it once this season, too (though he denies it), so we figure we're even on this one and nobody has to get any haircuts they don't want. But we're still proudly 98% Star-Wars-Reference-Free, and that's sort of an accomplishment for anyone of my generation!

Somewhat embarrassingly...I've seen this episode at least three times, and I've also ruined the best two-three lines for my best friend and my little brother. In any other circumstance I would think I was evil, but this show is so good that it doesn't matter--the context does so much, and it's still so funny on the third watch. Probably on the fourth, too.

Great episode once again! I personally have no problem if you guys make dozens of Star Wars references each season because they're still funny as hell. But now I'm curious, will the Bowie references be reduced this season as well?

Magic Murder Bag

Killinger is great. For some reason I found it deeply satisfying to see the Magic Murder Bag finally murder someone.

Also, Killinger's appearance last season makes more sense now. At the time it seemed weird that he would be helping both the villains and the heroes (well, they're technically heroes). Now it seems like that was all part of a greater plan.

Part of me kinda wanted to see Doc actually sign the papers and give villainy a try for a season. He could go back to being a super scientist after he failed at the villainy. I know it would never happen, but I'm always the guy who wants to see a show do something completely crazy and redefine everything. The few times it has actually happened haven't have been bad enough to show why most writers don't do that.

It occurs to me that despite the main cast's lives being exceedingly stable, there actually is a lot of change in Monarch and crew. They're pretty much becoming a b-cast that has a continuing storyline. Did you guys ever think that would happen when you started the show, or did these character just get more and more interesting as you went along?

Re: Magic Murder Bag

We had no idea The Monarch would keep coming back so much when we started, no...and even less of an idea that Dr. Girlfriend would develop and the henchmen would get personalities...or that Moppets would happen. I think by the end of season 1 we pretty much saw them as co-main cast members, though.

Seriously though, I love the way the season is progressing. We take the time to see the aftermath of The Monarch/Dr Girlfriend wedding...although I will point out like so many of my fellow rabid fans that we STILL don't know what Dr Girlfriend said to The Monarch! You keep us dangling...DANGLING!

The whole idea of Rusty ALMOST becoming...well...can't say it because it hasn't technically aired on the west coast yet...but you know what I mean. That was so COOL! Our dear Doctor Killinger has just become more interesting, Rusty's past and neurosys, the Alchemsit's new hair style...you've got me hanging and I love it.

Yeah, the heat wave is awful, I was in NYC yesterday for MOCCA and it was just nasty.

Were it not for the fact that i started falling ill (combination heat wave + inevitable con funk no doubt) I would have trapsed up to the Astrobase to deliver some baked goods, but alas, I didn't want to be the guy that caused Doc and Jackson to come down with the avian flu when starting work on seaon 4/finishing season 3.

I'll be living in the city come September though, so at the very least I will be trying to make a weekly or so offering to the golden gods that inhabit the Astrobase, so long as you and Doc are cool with that. I mean, I'm only going to be in grad school at NYU so I'll have a lot of free time.

And here's my obligatory "You guys are doing awesome!" which, admittedly is the default position for you two. Even State Dinner was leagues better than crap I see peddled for comedy on other shows. But enough stroking your egos, I'm going back to nursing a summer cold.

And boy do we love you. Great episode. Great-tastic even or fanta-rific. If only I could have laughed more loudly, but the roommate was a'sleeping.

And I will have you know that my heart sang at hearing which episode is coming next. It may very well be the first and only one I will resort to watching early on the website. I love those nimrods that much.

This was a spectacular episode, really well done. The story was great. It's so good to see Triana and Dr. O. I just love how everyone was pitching in to impress the big G-man.

Why the rush to get Season 4 in production? (I'm assuming it's AS who is rushing, not you guys.) I mean, I'm sure the network would like to have less than 12 months between seasons, but isn't it awfully confusing trying to produce two seasons at once? Not to mention an inhuman amount of work for you and Doc.

Another episode made of pure unfiltered awesome. It's so good to see a character like Dr. Henry Killinger get fleshed out and made more real. (Ooh, given the scene with the senior Dr. Venture perhaps "fleshed out" is not the best choice of phrase here.) Love the new looks at the Venture Compound, too.

this episode was really striking. i've always taken the series rather seriously, but i felt this episode was kind of... more overtly serious/taking itself seriously than usual (in a good way; as in "taking its own concerns/characters/themes seriously enough to just jump into them without irony"). and the just-pre-credits joke really worked for me.

i'm kind of at a loss for words (but still annoyingly posting i guess). season 3 is like a really good book, so it's burning me to not be able to read on. i can see why you were especially proud of writing this one. thanks for all the great work(:.

speaking of the family guy lead-in, it's nice to see someone getting more and more popular, but, instead of just phoning it in and repeating themselves, staying true to the spirit of the series while working harder and getting better. i, for one, really appreciate it.